Visibility
by Cynical Gummy Bear
Summary: It's Matthew's first year at Hogwarts, and he has a lot to deal with. With an old family curse, a polar bear familiar  who can't quite remember his name , an intriguing Russian student and an over bearing brother, Matthew sets out to prove his worth.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned either Hetalia or Harry Potter, I would be sitting on piles of money laughing at the pathetic people who _didn't_ own it. As it is, I do not own Hetalia or Harry Potter.

This is my gift to the lovely **Artificial Starlight** for her birthday. Happy Birthday!

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><p>Matthew sighed.<p>

He was in front of the entrance to Platform 9 and 3/4. Muggles and wizards alike were swarming around him, all going to their different destinations. A few tossed odd looks towards the wizards who had made no effort to blend in, taking in their owls and odd clothing.

Thanks to his invisibility, no one looked at him oddly.

No one looked at him at all.

He sighed. His family's curse was a double sided coin. Alfred never got the curse, Matthew thought bitterly. He shone, and everyone recognized him, and his Quidditch skills-never mind that Matthew was faster on a broom, or that his grades were far beyond his age. No one noticed Matthew period. Perhaps his French cousin, but that was rarely. His twin only noticed him when he wanted something, and then Alfred discarded him.

That happened often.

He shook his head to clear it from his rather bitter thoughts, and entered the platform, pushing his cart and his polar bear familiar, Kumakichi. He had a special permission slip signed by Professor Dumbledore saying that he could keep Kumarano. Pushing his cart, he struggled to load his luggage, finally succeeding. He kept his robes and Kumariela along with Kumariela's food. He checked his pocket to make sure his spare change was there, and wondered briefly if they would accept Muggle money. He hadn't enough time to change them for Galleons.

Matthew walked into the train, and bypassed compartment after compartment, before finding one that was empty. Setting down Kumadina, he slumped down. His brother had entered before him. He saw Alfred in a compartment, already surrounded by friends. From what Matthew had heard about the houses, he was sure that Alfred would end up in Gryffindor. It was just like his brother; brave, stupidly reckless, and with gigantic hero complexes. Matthew wasn't really sure which house he'd be in.

He was distracted from his thoughts when someone knocked on the compartment door. It was a blonde girl with short hair held back by headband and two crossed bobby pins. She was wearing a white shirt and blue overalls tucked into brown boots. He opened the door. Behind her were two other guys and one other girl-at least he assumed she was a girl.

"S-sorry!" she stuttered. "T-thanks for letting us s-stay here!" Mattie half smiled and answered back "No problem. Come inside."

The three blondes and one brunet stepped inside the compartment and let down their luggage. He got a good look at the other people that were behind the girl. One had straight blonde hair, and wore rectangular glasses. The brunet had chin length brown hair, and beside him was the spacey looking blonde girl. The two boys had blue eyes and the girl beside the brunet had apple green eyes. The girl with the headband had purple eyes. Matthew noticed with a start that all three boys were already wearing their uniforms.

He would have to change into them soon.

The brunet cleared his throat. "U-um, so I'm Toris Lorinaitis and this is Feliks-I mean Felicia Łukasiewicz. " Matthew smiled at him hesitantly and Toris smiled back. The glasses wearing blonde also spoke up "I'm Eduard Von Bock." He smiled at the two blondes.

The girl smiled at him waveringly and said "I'm Katyusha Braginskaya. W-what's y-your name?"

Matthew lifted his chin and met her eyes. "I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams."

* * *

><p>Everyone in the compartment had relaxed once the food cart wheeled by. True enough, the lady was kind enough to let Matthew use his Muggle money for food, and exchanged the rest of his money as well. There wasn't anything with maple, much to Matthew's dismay. He got two Chocolate Frogs and a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which he shared with everyone else. Eduard had gotten two packs of Drooble's Best Blowing Bubble Gum.<p>

He had learned that Toris was from Lithuania and it was his second year, along with his cousin, Eduard, who was from Estonia. It was Katyusha's third year and she was from Ukraine.

The biggest shock was that Felicia wasn't a girl, but a cross dresser named Feliks. The reason why most people let it slide was because Feliks/Felicia was a very popular model who looked good in both guy's and girl's clothing.

"Well, I was born in Ukraine, but my brother is Russian because he was born there." Matthew nodded. He now had a place for her accent.

"I was born in Canada. My mother is from Quebec-" Feliks cut him off, asking "Your mother? Do you like, mean Madeline Williams?" Matthew had a startled look on his face as he asked "You know her?"

Katyusha's eyes had lit up at the mention of his mother's name. "You're the son of Madeline Williams? You look like her!" Matthew laughed, and said _"Oui, ma mere est Madeline Williams." _They were able to catch the gist of it, and they smiled.

"I like, totes love your mother's work!" Feliks/Felicia squealed, and Toris teased her for her excitement. They were laughing and chatting when someone knocked on the compartment door. Katyusha opened it to show a blonde teen with dark blue eyes.

Come to think of it, Matthew _had_ seen Feliks _and_ his persona Felicia around his mother's design studio, he briefly mused, before turning his attention to the blonde who had just stepped into the compartment.

Strange eye colours must be common, Matthew mused as he looked around him. Katyusha had purple eyes, and the others had rather rare and bright shades of blue and green that were rather uncommon. He himself had a mix of blue and purple eyes. The stranger smiled at them.

"My name is Tino Vainamoinen! Pleased to make your acquaintance." Everyone smiled at them and another round of greetings was started. Tino, it seemed, was from Finland.

The air in the compartment stayed warm and friendly, and for a moment, Matthew forgot entirely about his more popular brother as he introduced everyone to his familiar, Kumamarou.

The chatter was hushed at the sight of Hogwarts Castle in the horizon.

Matthew looked at it in awe, and took every detail in. How light peeked out of the windows; the aged bricks and medieval architecture. The castle would look striking in the sun, but it looked ethereal and beautiful with the back ground of the night sky behind it, the sky full of stars that only added to the magical effect. Yes, Matthew decided, Hogwarts was truly magical. He looked down at Kumalala, who seemed to think so too. The polar bear was entranced with the scene.

He looked at the people in his boat. Toris was there, along with Feliks and a Cuban guy named Carlos. Carlos had scowled at him and tried to hit him had not Toris stopped him. It seemed that Carlos had mistaken him for Alfred, and tried to hit him.

His brother was already causing trouble, and they hadn't even been Sorted.

The trip across the lake had ended and they started their walk up to the castle gates. As they were walking, Carlos had caught up to him, and walked beside him.

"I'm sorry."

Matthew turned his head to look at Carlos, who blushed and looked down. He softened, not one to hold grudges long.

"It's ok." Carlos looked up with a start, and then beamed. They walked in companionship up to the castle, where their fates would be decided.

* * *

><p>Professor Padma Patil was there as head of Ravenclaw and the Deputy Head Mistress. She stood there, and warmly smiled at the excited (and more than a little apprehensive) first years.<p>

"Welcome to Hogwarts! The start-of-term feast will be starting shortly, but before it starts you must be Sorted. There are four houses here at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." She levelled frosty looks at students who broke out into dark whispers when Slytherin was mentioned.

"Which house you get into is very important. Your house becomes something like your family here at Hogwarts. With them, you will go to classes, hang out in the common room, and sleep in dormitories together. Each house has its own noble history and outstanding witches and wizards.

Good behaviour will earn you points, and rule breaking will cost you points." Her eyes rested on Alfred. She had, no doubt, known about his attitude on the train.

"Now, I'll leave you a few moments to settle down, and be presentable before you are Sorted." Her eyes lingered on Feliks, who was wearing the girls outfit. Matthew didn't know how she could tell that Feliks was a boy from just one glance. He certainly couldn't.

With that, she left, and excited chatter broke out. Matthew sighed. He really didn't know which house he would get into. He supposed that was the Sorting Hat's job. He looked around, and the friends that he had made on the train looked just as nervous as he was. Well, at least he wasn't alone. Carlos was talking to his friends, and from the looks of it, they were getting along just fine.

He chose to ignore his brother when he called his name in favour of talking to Carlos. Perhaps that would teach him a lesson.

Professor Patil had come to escort the students to be Sorted. Matthew exchanged a look with Toris, Feliks and Carlos. Tino was the one who seemed to sum the night up, saying with a wry twist to his mouth,

"Well, here goes nothing."

And so the four students stepped inside the Great Hall to face their fate.

* * *

><p>They gathered in a group, to be called alphabetically as the Hat sang it's song. Not many of them paid attention (Matthew sure didn't). They were too nervous and excited for their Sorting.<p>

"Now, when I call your name, please walk up and sit on the stool to be Sorted."

"Arlovskaya, Natalya!"

A beautiful blonde with an icy demeanour and frigid violet eyes imperiously sat down on the wooden stool, and before the Hat could even touch her head, she was Sorted into "SLYTHERIN!" She walked to the table of emerald and silver amidst their cheers. She sat down beside a blonde, scarf wearing boy who quickly ran from her to sit down at the opposite end of the table. Matthew fought the urge to snicker.

"Bondevik, Luka!"

A white-blonde boy with piercing dark purple eyes walked calmly up to the stool, a puffin following him, and landing on his shoulder. Matthew took note of this-he wasn't the only one with a familiar.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The boy calmly walked over to the table, where he sat down beside an equally stoic boy wearing a barrette of the Nordic Cross and a tall boy wearing glasses.

"Carriedo, Carlos Hernandez!"

The Cuban boy traded a glance with Matthew, and then walked up to sit on the stool. The Hat immediately screamed out, "GRYFFINDOR!" With a relieved smile, the boy went and sat down amidst the cheers of his house mates.

"Im, Yong Soo!"

An Asian boy cheerfully bounced up and sat down, and the Hat immediately proclaimed him "GRYFFINDOR!" They also clapped and cheered for him, and the energetic (you could tell from just a glance) boy sat down beside Carlos and introduced himself. They were chatting within moments. Matthew hoped that Carlos would introduce him too.

Finally, it was Alfred's turn. When Professor Patil called out "Jones, Alfred F!" he swaggered up to the stool and jauntily sat down. Like the Slytherin, Natalya, the Hat didn't even need to fully touch his head before it called out "GRYFFINDOR!" The House cheered for him and Alfred looked like he was on top of the world.

"Lorinaitis, Toris!"

Toris gulped, and Feliks put a hand on his shoulder before he stood up and nervously walked to the stool. The Hat was placed on his head, and after a moment, it cried out "GRYFFINDOR!" Toris walked, and sat down near his brother, who eagerly started to talk to him. Matthew felt his fists clenching. Well, this wouldn't be the first time that his brother had taken one of his friends.

"Łukasiewicz, Feliks!"

The cross dressing blonde sashayed up to the stool, ignoring whispers that started once they saw that he was indeed, dressing like a girl. He sat down, and the Hat was placed on his head. After a moment or two, it shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" Feliks ran to sit beside Toris, who introduced him to Alfred.

Well, make that two of his new found friends that Alfred took from him.

More students were Sorted, but Matthew ignored them. He grew red with rage, and gritted his teeth. Kumamarou looked at him, and placed a paw on his hands. Matthew calmed down a little, and smiled at his bear, who deftly asked "Who?". Matthew fought the urge to facepalm. When he finally started paying attention again, they were at the V's. A bubbly Italian named Feliciano Vargas had just been sorted into Hufflepuff.

Well, they were getting closer to his name.

Soon enough, it was his turn. Professor Patil called out "Williams, Matthew!" She did a double take when he stood up, Kumashima in his arms, to be Sorted. Once she had looked at the Gryffindor table, where, sure enough, Alfred was there, she proceeded. Matthew sat on the stool, and the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

_"Well, you certainly are a bitter boy, aren't you? There's the curse, and your brother overshadowing you all the time." _The Sorting Hat's voice was amused in his ears, and Matthew narrowed his eyes.

_"Slytherin would be perfect for you, you know. You'd have the chance to prove yourself, to shine apart from your brother. But then again, you've got the loyalty and dedication of a Hufflepuff, where you'll be accepted and loved."_

"What do you mean by that?" Matthew hissed.

_"Just showing you two paths that you could go down. Either Slytherin, where you'll be great and prove your worth, or Hufflepuff, where you'll be loved."_

Matthew took a look at the Hufflepuff table, where Katyusha and Tino sat, worried looks on their faces. He then looked at Slytherin, where their faces were calculating, trying to see what was going on with the Sorting of Matthew Williams. The scarf wearing boy in particular caught his eyes. Vivid purple met blue purple.

"I think I've decided."

_"Well then, better be-"_

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><p>BWAHAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER shot

Just to clear a few things up:

According to my head canon, the qualifications for being in first year is that you have to be 11 before the year starts. Meaning, anyone whose birthdays are after September 1st are going to be in 1st year next year (if that makes any sense). So some people will be turning 12 during the school year, some people after the school year ends.

Yes, Matthew will be passive aggressive and quite bitter. Deal with it. His name is Matthew **Williams** and not Matthew Jones because his mother was the only child of a pureblood, and she married a Muggleborn. To continue her family, she needed an Heir to the Williams family, and Matthew was the firstborn. That's why he's closer to his mom than his dad.

This happens after the Last Battle but before James Sirius Potter goes to school. Ergo, Moldy Voldie and his band of Death Noms are dead.

Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Darling **Artificial Starlight**'s birthday was on Saturday. This chapter is just a filler, setting grounds for later chapters, but at least it's out, right? :P

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><p>"HUFFLEPUFF!"<p>

Matthew gave a huge sigh and walked over to the cheering Hufflepuff table.

"What took you so long?' Katyusha asked. Matthew just shook his head and sighed. The Sorting finished with a "Zwingli, Vash" who got Sorted into Slytherin amidst cheers.

The Headmistress, war hero Hannah Longbottom, nee Abbot. She stood up, and called for attention.

"Thank you," he said, when the noise stopped and all eyes were on him-more than a few in blatant hero worship. Hannah Abbot had not been one of the premier fighting forces in the war, but she had still been part of Dumbledore's Army, and had married Neville Longbottom, famous for his efforts in the war.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I won't keep this long," she said wryly. "I know what it's like to be eagerly waiting for the Hogwarts Feast. Anyways, I just want to say that our dear Groundskeeper, Hagrid, has stepped down from teaching Care of Magical Creatures, and Charlie Weasley has stepped up to take his place." The brawny redhead stood up, and girls immediately took note of him.

"Since that seems to be it for now, let the Feast begin!"

Professor Abbot (it cleared up differences between her and her husband) waved her wand and the food appeared on the table. People immediately dug in. Matthew looked at all the French and international food around him, and briefly wondered if Hogwarts was still British with all the international influences. He put some _boeuf bourguinon_ on his plate along with some vegetables.

The purple eyed boy caught his gaze again, and Matthew quickly looked away. The moment before was oddly intimate, too intimate for Matthew's liking. Before he could ask anyone who the boy was, someone called for his attention.

It was his blonde cousin, Francis Bonnefoy. Beside him was his friend, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Canada noted the similar last names and made a note to ask Antonio what his relation to Carlos was.

_"__Félicitations, mon cousin!" _Might we add that although Francis was as French as could be, his parents chose to put him in England as a disciplinary exercise.

All the maids were sorely disappointed to know that the Young Master was going to go to England.

_"Merci beaucoup Francis. Qui est-il?" _Although he already knew Antonio's name because Francis had described him to Matthew in a letter, he wished to be formally introduced. He wasn't the scion of the Williams Family for nothing, you know.

Antonio beamed at him and held out his hand. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, second year." It seemed that Matthew didn't have to ask Francis for an introduction. He shook his hand, and Antonio continued talking in rapid Italian with the bubbly first year beside him, Feliciano Vargas. A blonde with a bob commented every once in a while in English. She wore a ribbon the colour of the Belgian flag as a headband, keeping her hair away from her face. Matthew caught a boy who looked a lot like Feliciano, except that his colouring was darker with striking golden eyes, scowling at Feliciano and Antonio. Matthew looked more closely, puzzled.

It was then that he noticed Arthur was beside the brunet. He placed a hand on the brunet's shoulder, who then softened and went back to eating. Arthur smiled at him. Smiling wasn't usually what the green eyed blonde did. Mostly, it was scowling. That was very, very interesting.

Were they friends or more? Matthew mused.

He _was_ half French, after all. Romance, or _l'amour_ was in his blood.

He looked around at the teachers. According to Hogwarts a History: Self-Updating Version there used to be a ghost called Professor Binns who taught History of Magic, but when the Castle was taken over by the Carrow siblings, they had exorcised him. Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout and Trelawney had retired. In their place were Lavender Brown as the Divinations teacher, Padma Patil as the Transfigurations Mistress, Neville Longbottom as the Herbology professor, and Astoria Greengrass as the Charms teacher. Hermione Granger herself was the Defense teacher.

Matthew looked forward to when she and Alfred would meet. He had posters of the Golden Trio plastered in his room beside his superhero posters. It would be hilarious how the war heroes handled the over energetic teen. Well, he was in her house now after all.

Katyusha and Tino were eagerly discussing classes. Matthew came into the conversation every once and a while, but he had found poutine near him, and manners be damned, he was going to stuff his face.

"Herbology is my favourite class," Katyusha told Matthew, who smiled at her through a mouthful of fries, gravy and cheese curds (He had still closed his mouth. Only Alfred wouldn't). He swallowed, and then politely said "What's it like?" Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly said "It's amazing! Professor Longbottom is really down to earth. I'm joining the Gardening Club this year. You should too! We're starting with magical plants used for cooking and healing for the Hospital Wing and the Kitchen."

"I'm joining too." Tino said. He smiled, and then Matthew nodded. "I'll join it then." he said quietly. Katyusha rewarded him with a beaming smile. They gradually started talking about the different classes that they would have, along with the other classes.

"Supposedly Gryffindors and Slytherins usually have classes together to 'get rid of the inter-house resentment'." Tino put air quotes around the words and rolled his eyes. "That means we're usually with Ravenclaws, who aren't too bad to us."

"What do you mean, too bad to us?" Matthew asked warily. Bullies? He inwardly gulped.

People like him were usually huge targets for bullies. The only reason why it had stopped the year before was because he joined the hockey team and the Quidditch team, and people learned that he wasn't to be messed with. Especially after one of the Beaters decided to try and have him killed, and Matthew, losing his temper, had taken a Beater's Bat and knocked a Bludger right at his head, giving him a grade 3 concussion and both he and Matthew out for the season.

Needless to say, he was avoided by bullies from then on.

Tino sensed Matthew's wariness and soothingly said "It's okay. Hufflepuffs travel in packs, and after the Battle of Hogwarts, nobody really messes with us anymore. The Gryffindors still think we're 'duffers', but they save their ire for the Slytherins."

"And the Ravenclaws?" If a bully was in Ravenclaw, then good bye peace of mind. Tino _did_ say that most of the classes that Hufflepuff had was with Ravenclaw.

"They approve of hard work." Katyusha said, and Matthew relaxed. Hopefully, he would avoid any incidents.

He looked around at the students for faces he recognized. Scanning the tables, he saw the stoic blondes from earlier, the ones with the puffin familiar. He nudged Katyusha, and asked "Who are the people over there? The stoic ones with the puffin familiar?"

It was Tino who answered him as Katyusha was busy chewing her meal of Borscht. "I don't know the name of the new kid, but the one with the barrette is Soren Bondevik-presumably Puffin Guy's brother-and the scary and stoic one with the glasses is Berwald Oxenstierna." Matthew chuckled at his descriptions and thanked him.

Matthew twisted his body to look behind him at the Gryffindor table. As usual, Alfred was the center of attention, laughing with everyone. His heart gave a pang of envy. Katyusha caught his look of longing, as did Francis and Tino, but they said nothing, opting instead to ask for more information later.

Carlos and the Korean student were far from Alfred, at the end of the table, chatting energetically.

Matthew turned back, and looked ahead of him at the Slytherin table. He saw the boy with the scarf and strange, purple eyes again. He was picking at his bowl of soup, not eating much. He noticed that the scarf-wearing boy was far from everybody else, with no one making a move to socialize with him.

Matthew frowned, puzzled, and looked into Katyusha's eyes. His eyes widened and he bit back a gasp.

He knew who those purple eyes belonged to.

"Katyusha, who is the scarf wearing boy in Slytherin? The one with the _vivid purple eyes_?" He said pointedly.

Immediately Tino tensed, obviously recognizing the description, and Katyusha avoided his eyes.

"He's my brother." she said, looking at her plate, away from Matthew's inquisitive gaze.

Matthew was surprised, but not by her admission. It was more of the fact that she acted as if she didn't acknowledge her brother. It was obvious from the way she acted. They looked so alike, however. With the same distinctive eyes, and the same shade of hair, if you looked at them together it was clear that they were brother and sister.

However, he could understand why she was reluctant to speak of her brother. Matthew didn't even _want_ to be related to his brother at times.

Katyusha turned large, pleading eyes towards Matthew, and he hesitated on asking for more details. It seemed to be a rather touchy subject, and she was his friend...

Tino watched the battle of wills with amusement, head flickering towards Matthew, naturally inquisitive, and Katyusha, who wanted to hide her relation to the Slytherin. The air grew tenser and tenser, and it almost seemed that there was a stalemate until...

"Fine!" Matthew held up his hands, and softened. Tino laughed loudly at Matthew's expression as Katyusha smiled, and the topic of her brother was not spoken of again that night.

* * *

><p>After dinner ended, the Hufflepuff prefects led them to their dorms.<p>

The Hufflepuff common rooms were on the ground floor. When they spoke the password, _fidélité_ , to a painting of a pretty, dimpled redhead lady who bid them hello in a Welsh accent, the portrait swung open and they climbed into the common room.

Immediately when they entered, Matthew's inherited designer's eye went to work in absorbing the common room. It was warm and inviting, with the walls in yellow with edges of black. The Hufflepuff coat of arms took up a large amount of room on the wall opposite from the entrance. The floors were black stained wood covered with yellow rugs.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room! Here is the general area. Boy's rooms are to the right and down the hall, and girls are on the left and down the hall. We have considerably more space then the Gryffindors, so you will only have to share your room with one other person." The prefect said. Sighs of relief were emitted from the First Years. Matthew smiled, relieved. He liked his space.

"Hufflepuff House dormatories are quite close to the kitchens. To get there, simply go down the hall and turn right until you see a tapestry of a bowl of fruit. Tickle the pear in the painting, and it will turn into a handle for you to open the door with. However, you are not allowed to leave the dormatories after lights out." The prefect levelled glares at the older years, whose faces looked blank or innocent.

"I'm pretty sure that's it for now! Remember the rules, First Years! It's lights out for you at 9:30!" They groaned goodnaturedly and went to the Boy's Dormatories.

The bubbly Italian from the Sorting approached Matthew, who looked at him with a questioning look.

"Ve~ Do you want to be my room mate?~ Everyone else already chose their partners." The Italian said dreamily.

Matthew looked over him. The brunet seemed ditsy, but really nice and would probably be a good room mate for the year. He smiled, and stuck out his hand. "My name is Matthew Williams. Pleased to meet you."

The Italian beamed and shook his hand. "My name is Feliciano Vargas, but you can call me Feli, ve!~" The pair then went to their rooms after bidding goodbye to Kaytusha, Tino, Antonio and Francis.

* * *

><p>Matthew couldn't sleep.<p>

It was around 10:00 or 11:00 at night, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed. Flopping back down on the mattress, he looked back on his day and everything that had occured. From his meetings on the train-which he tried not to think about because of Toris and Feliks-to his Sorting into Hufflepuff, to the fabulous dinner, and the Hufflepuff common room. His thoughts drifted to the people he had met throughout the day, and he came back to the topic of Katyusha's mysterious brother.

There must be some reason why they didn't seem to be close. Wait, that was an understatement. There must be a reason why both of them pretended that they didn't have other siblings.

When Matthew finally drifted off to sleep, his dreams were filled with thoughts of vivid purple eyes.

* * *

><p>Matthew woke up suddenly from his sleep. He blushed when he remembers who those purple eyes belong to, the eyes that were haunting his dreams. Casting a quick <em>Tempus<em>, he sees that it is 7:00, and he hurriedly jumps out of bed. Waking up his room mate, Feliciano, he rushed to the bathroom and took a quick shower.

Matthew and Feliciano cleaned up their covers and dress in their robes-his mother had sent over hand tailored uniforms for him, and the House Elves had transfigured the hem and ties Hufflepuff colours. Looking over at Feliciano, he saw that his uniform had also been changed. As he quickly checking everything in the mirror, he noticed Kumawire waking up. With a sly glint in his eyes, Matthew wraps one of his Hufflepuff scarves around his polar bear familiar. Feliciano giggled and exclaimed on how cute the bear looks.

They head out of the dormatory, catching up with Tino and Katyusha.

"I want food."

Tino, Katyusha and Feliciano turn inquisitive and disbelieving glances towards the polar bear, who drowsily muttered something about seal.

"He speaks?" Tino's tone was disbelieving as he stared at the familiar.

Matthew hoisted Kumayaya up so that they could see him. "He's my familiar. Of course he can speak." Putting Kumatater back down and holding him, he looked at them apologetically. "I have to go get some meat for Kumamarou. He's picky about which type of meat he wants, and it always has to be raw." They waved him off, and promised that they would save food for him come breakfast.

Heading down to the kitchens, he quickly got some seal meat from a House-Elf, and headed back to the Great Hall. It was now 8:00, and he was going to get pancakes if he had to steal from others.

You could safely assume that Matthew loved pancakes with a fiery passion if he was willing to bend his morals for them.

As he rounded the corner, he slammed into a warm body. As he fell back slightly (years of hockey had given Matthew a fabulous sense of balance and control-it was very hard indeed for him to completely fall over), he took a look at the person who he had slammed into.

It was an androgynous Chinese student-Matthew guessed him to be in Year 4. He had long hair in a ponytail. Frowning, he said "That's odd, aru." The student waved a hand in the air in front of him. "I must tripped. It's impossible to bump into thin air." Calmly, the Chinese walked away, brushing dust off his robes.

Numbly, Matthew stood there.

It was all going so _well._ Tino could see him. Feliciano could see him. Katyusha could see him. Even his cousin Francis and his friend Antonio could see him.

It was stupid, Matthew decided. _He_ was stupid. Just because some people could see him, doesn't mean that he should have forgotten about the curse.

From in his arms, Kumamello pawed at the arm holding him up. Matthew's fists were clenched rather tightly, to the point that he was nearly bleeding. Kumamattie twisted himself around to hold his owner's face. Lifting his face with one paw, the bear's beady eyes met his own blue-purple eyes. He softened, and then took the seal meat-it was in a bag, so it was protected when he stumbled- and Matthew walked to the Great Hall, forcing himself to forget the incident.

* * *

><p>He sat down beside Tino in the Great Hall. Students were filing in slowly, some yawning and sluggish, others happy and up beat. Sitting beside Tino, he put on a small smile, pretending to be tired. Tino looked at him with an odd look in his eye-he could tell Matthew was really a morning person; there was no way he would be tired at 8:00. However, he said nothing, turning back to his food.<p>

Matthew put the seal meat on a plate for Kumanearo, and quickly took the entire plate of pancakes and put it in front of him, using food to console himself.

What? It works. Thousands of rejected girls who have taken up chocolate and ice cream could attest to that.

Tino nudged him and nodded towards the front of the table. It seemed that their Head of House was handing out timetables. With a start, he realized that the Head of House was the Headmistress, Professor Hannah Longbottom.

"She fills in as our Head of House because none of the new teachers are from Hufflepuff." said Katyusha, answering his unspoken question. Matthew thanked her quickly and continued devouring his pancakes which he smothered in maple syrup that he checked with the House Elves when he was in the kitchen. It was indeed Canadian, and so Matthew could eat his syrup without obsessing over its quality. Tino noticed that despite him eating rather fast, his manners were still in place-he used his napkin, his fork and his knife, didn't chew with his mouth open, and more.

Looking behind him, he winced at the sight of Matthew's twin, Alfred (it was obvious to anyone and everyone that they were twins) pigging out on food with atrocious manners. Tino looked between the twins in sheer disbelief. How could two people who looked almost _exactly_ alike be so different? Matthew had the manners of a pureblood, Alfred was more unrefined. One was quiet and passive agressive, the other wore his heart on his sleeve. He shook his head as if to clear it, and turned back to his food.

The mystery of Matthew Williams could always be solved after breakfast, Tino decided, turning back to his food.

* * *

><p>Matthew's timetable was handed to him by the Headmistress. He briefly looked over it, and decided that it could be worse. It was as follows:<p>

**Monday: **

**Period 1: Herbology with Ravenclaws**

**Period 2: Potions with Ravenclaw**

**Period 3: Transfiguration with Gryffindor**

**Period 4: Charms with Ravenclaw**

**Tuesday:**

**Period 1: Herbology with Ravenclaw**

**Period 2: History of Magic with Slytherin**

**Period 3: Potions with Ravenclaw**

**Period 4:****Defense Against the Dark Arts (alone)***

**Wednesday:**

**Period 1: Herbology with Ravenclaw**

**Period 2: Defense Against the Dark Arts (alone)***

**Period 3: Transfiguration with Gryffindor**

**Period 4: Charms with Ravenclaw**

**Thursday:**

**Period 1: Herbology with Ravenclaw**

**Period 2: History of Magic with Slytherin**

**Period 3: ****Potions with Ravenclaw**

**Period 4: Defense Against the Dark Arts (alone)***

**Friday:**

**Period 1: Transfiguration with Gryffindor**

**Period 2: Charms with Ravenclaw**

**Period 3: Potions with Ravenclaw**

**Period 4: Defense Against the Dark Arts (alone)***

***Defense Against the Dark Arts is alone for the safety of the students. **

Damn! Did he really had to face his brother four days a week? The teacher would confuse them for one another for sure. It'll be elementary all over again. Matthew would constantly get blamed for Alfred's wrongdoings, and he would exploit it, asking his brother to continually cover for him.

Would he ever catch a break? Matthew thought bitterly. No, he supposed not.

Looking down at the timetable in his hands, he felt an familiar sense of dread creep up his spine.

* * *

><p>I don't think that this classifies as a cliffhanger, so you're not allowed to kill me. XD At least I finished it fast.<p>

Matthew dislikes his twin, but due to passive-agressiveness, he doesn't show it. Alfred doesn't know this, and due to Matthew's impeccable lying and Alfred's own obliviousness, he can't tell. Observant little Tino can tell that Matthew has at least some resentment towards his brother, but they've only known each other for two days, so he doesn't/can't tell everything yet.

Francis doesn't seem to be that close to Matthew because he already has his own friends. Plus, Matthew lives in Canada while Francis lives in France, so they're not the closest.

Anyways, review and I'll get more incentive for the next chapter!~


	3. Chapter 3

OMFG I IS SORRY FOR LATE UPDATE OTL I was away, and you can't write on an iPad DX

Um, I've been told that I had some problems with past tense and present tense in the second chapter and thank you **Leaf Child** and **chocobnylub** for helping me by pointing that out. I do have some crap excuse-I was writing something else and my writing style on that carried over, and I didn't manage to catch everything when I edited it...

Many, many thanks to** rickazcurser, **who beta-ed this for me C:

Really sorry about that. I know that I hate it when authors do that DX Now for the new chapter!~

* * *

><p>Feliciano looked worriedly at his new friend.<p>

As soon as he had seen the time table, Matthew had frozen up like a statue. He had gone paler and looked like he was in shock. The Italian nervously chewed his bottom lip. He wished he knew what was wrong, but it was too early for that-he had just met the Canadian.

Tentatively, he touched the blonde's shoulder. Matthew jerked towards him, almost dropping his timetable in his pancakes. Brown eyes met blue-purple and Matthew softened, forcing himself to put a smile on his face.

Unfortunately, Feliciano Vargas may be dense, but even he could see through that smile.

"Ve, are you okay Matthew? You looked ill there." He was twisting his hands, and Matthew slumped, forcing himself to relax, tentatively smiling at the nervous Italian.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked across the table, and again he met the baffling, vivid purple eyes belonging to Katyusha's brother.

"I think."

* * *

><p>Matthew headed towards Herbology, glad that the way there passed by the dormitories. He quickly got his and Feliciano's dragon hide gloves, and they quickly made their way to Greenhouse 1.<p>

"Welcome to your First Class of Herbology! I am Professor Neville Longbottom." An awkward silence met the beaming visage of the war hero. The reactions were mixed-some were apprehensive and some were staring in barely concealed hero-worship. Others, like Matthew, just wanted the class to start already.

"Herbology is the study of magical plants and their uses." began Professor Longbottom. "Here you will learn how to grow, take care of, and harvest various types of plants. We'll first begin with their different types! Now, there are several categories they can fall under….."

Matthew smiled as the teacher lectured on about the types of plants and how their groups were related to what they were used for. He liked plants. There was a maple tree in his house in Canada. He used to watch the maple leaves fall. Even his wand was made of maple, with a unicorn hair core. He shook out of his stupor as Professor Longbottom asked the group a question.

"Can any of you name one herb used in healing? Anyone?" Matthew tentatively raised his hand.

A miracle happened that day to the young Canadian: When he raised his hand, Professor Longbottom picked him out of the crowd, without having to squint, or confuse Matthew for Alfred.

(A tiny, bitter part of Matthew argued that this was only his first class-the teacher was bound to slip up once the Professor had seen his more flamboyant twin. For the sake of his happiness, he steadfastly ignored this little part of him.)

"One p-plant used in healing is D-dittany, sir." He cursed himself for stuttering, and smiled back to Professor Longbottom. "10 points to Hufflepuff." He calmly said, and continued on with the lesson. Matthew smiled, and paid attention as the lesson went on and he slowly immersed himself in the sea of information. Kumajirou, bored with simply sitting beside the blonde, ambled over to a young cutting of the Venomous Tentacula, and started 'playing' with it.

Matthew had a hard time separating them once the lesson was over.

* * *

><p>The two Hufflepuff First Years walked quickly to their next class, Potions with Ravenclaw. It was taught by Professor Slughorn, the Head of Slytherin. He refused to retire after the War, foreseeing a newer generation that didn't have war to dampen their talent. Along with the Astronomy Professor, the Ancient Runes professor, and the Arithmancy professor, they stayed at Hogwarts, guiding the newer teachers along.<p>

"Ve, we got 20 points altogether and it's only our first class! Isn't that great, ve!" Feliciano excitedly babbled beside him. He had answered a question about which plants were used in magical paint. When Matthew asked the Italian to clarify, he told the Canadian that his grandfather, a prominent Pureblood Lord who could trace his ancestry to Roman conquerors, had taught him both Magical and Mundane art. Given his knowledge of Pureblood behavior, it was hard for the blonde to visualize.

They reached the classroom in which Potions was taught. Matthew couldn't understand why it had to be in the dungeons. If it was hard to see in potion fumes, why didn't they have the class in a brightly lit room on the ground floor, or something like that? He didn't understand their logic.

Professor Horace Slughorn was renowned for his ability to 'collect' the finest students in the school. In other words, he was like a bloodhound when it came to seeking out potential talent. His mother didn't know much about the man-she was from Beauxbatons, the French school for magic, and she had never met Slughorn before.

"Welcome to Potions Class, First Years! I could almost remember _my _first potions class, though that was quite a long time ago!" He gave a chuckle.

"Today we will be making a Boil-Removing potion. Now remember, add the quills _after_ you have taken the cauldron off of the fire. That way, none of you will be acquainted with the Hospital Wing so early in the term! Now, will the first row stand up and go get their ingredients?" While Matthew stood up and went to go fetch potions ingredients from the supply closet, Professor Slughorn waved his wand and the instructions appeared on the blackboard. As he quickly looked back at Feliciano, he saw that the Italian was focusing on boiling the water. Grabbing porcupine quills, dried nettles, stewed horned slugs (the irony of this was not lost on Matthew) and snake fangs, he walked back to his seat.

The two First Years worked quickly and efficiently. Since Feliciano was a pureblood, and he was raised as if he was one, they both had tutors that prepared them for Hogwarts lessons by teaching them the basics of potions, and so they both knew what to do.

There was an unspoken agreement: the blonde would prepare the ingredients while the usually ditzy brunette, now sharp and focused, added the ingredients one by one. Kumajirou was put to the left of the Canadian, not making any fuss or noise, except to ask the blonde what he was doing. He absentmindedly answered the bear, focusing on his work.

Finally they finished, and the potion was the proper color of pistachio green. They had also finished a good ten minutes before everyone else except for a pair of Ravenclaws in the front. Matthew gave Feliciano a high-five and relaxed. As Professor Slughorn whirled around to inspect the potions, Matthew took a quick look at other people's. The Ravenclaws all had proper potions, though some were a shade or two off. Looking around, the Hufflepuffs had the same results.

He looked up, and saw that Slughorn was looking at him and Feliciano."Good job, good job indeed. Ten points to Hufflepuff for finishing early. Say, are you of the Vargas family? I met your uncle at an international Ministry Ball. He spoke of your artistic skills." He said, complimenting the ditsy Italian, who beamed and quickly thanked him. He paid no attention to the blonde, and walked away to inspect more work.

The dismissal stung, but Matthew tried to pass it off on the fact that his mother never went to Hogwarts. She was from Beauxbatons instead. As for his father...

His father was a Muggleborn who fell in love with Madeline Williams on an exchange program between Salem and Beauxbatons. They met, and fell in love. House Williams was quite liberal, and seeing as his father was quite powerful, allowed the marriage to happen. However, House Williams needed an heir, and so Matthew was groomed as the next one. Alfred was younger, and therefore couldn't inherit.

Even if Alfred _was_ older, Matthew had a hard time imagining him with manners.

"Great work everyone! Your homework is to write an essay on what the ingredients do and why they were chosen for the potion. Now, let's keep up our record of zero accidents! Dismissed!" The students filed out, and so did Matthew and Feliciano. His good mood was rather dashed now. He looked at his time table to see the next class after lunch, and paled.

He hurried to lunch. Well, if he was to face Alfred, he didn't have to do it on an empty stomach.

* * *

><p>"Ve~ that lunch was good! The pasta was great! Almost as good as what we have in Italy!" Feliciano raved, and Matthew tried to smile at the shorter brunet. He had savored his meal, even letting himself eat more poutine than usual (he wanted to develop healthy habits and try to cut back now).<p>

Their next class was Transfiguration with Professor Padma Patil.

Along with Gryffindors.

Which meant Alfred.

Not to mention that Transfiguration was one of his weakest classes.

Despite his previous tutors, he wasn't sure whether or not he had an advantage. Matthew hadn't talked to his brother since before they left for the Hogwarts Express. As for his brother, Alfred certainly didn't make any move to contact his less visible twin. He certainly didn't want to talk to his obnoxious, annoying, thoughtless, callous, stupid, overbearing, arrogant, big headed, loser, moronic, _American_, idiotic-

"Ve, Matthew? Are you okay? You just stopped and clenched your fists and your eyes just twitched, ve~" Feliciano asked worriedly. The blonde First Year snapped back to reality, and tried to smile at Feliciano. Luckily the brunet seemed to be fooled and went back to excitedly babbling about different topics. The subject finally came to the Professor-Padma Patil, Ravenclaw alumni.

"I know that her parents are purebloods, ve~" Trying to contribute to the conversation, Matthew quickly added "She was in Dumbledore's Army, I think. At least, Hogwarts: A Self-Updating Version says so." They talked about the war, and their families. Feliciano's mother and father had died when he was rather young, and he and his brother were sent to live with their grandfather in Rome.

"I love it with my grandfather, ve~ He taught me the arts and how to cook! I was going to go to the school in Rome, but grandfather's friend convinced him to send me here along with Lovino!"

"Lovino, is that your brother?" Matthew asked him, desperate for anything to distract him., They were nearing the Transfiguration classroom.

"Yes~ He's in Slytherin though, so he can't be seen talking to me, or everyone else will pick on him, ve~ That's what Germania said. He's grandfather's friend." Feliciano said rather matter-of-factly. He didn't seem all that close to his brother either. When talking about his beloved grandfather, he never once mentioned his brother, the one who had seemed so close to Arthur.

He filed away the thought and gulped, coming back to his senses. They were right in front of the Transfiguration classroom.

Matthew nervously blinked and slowly walked in, choosing a seat in the front. Feliciano, still babbling, sat beside him.

Slowly, the Gryffindors wandered in, chatting loudly. Feliks came in and took the bench to the right of Matthew's and Feliciano's. He bitterly noticed that he happily talked to another Gryffindor, not once looking at the blonde Canadian. He clenched his fists, and Kumashina softly growled. Beside him, Feliciano's smile dropped, worried about his new friends.

Someone tapped on Matthew's shoulder and he quickly whirled around to see who it was. He met familiar brown eyes, and he relaxed. Carlos was sitting behind him along with his friend, the Korean First Year student. Said student excitedly beamed at him and did a small half bow.

"I'm Im Yong Soo, but in England it's Yong Soo Im! Im is my family name. You can call me Yong Soo!~ Pleased to meet you! Carlos told me that you're the twin brother of that idiot Alfred. Is it true? You look an awful lot like him! Except for the fact that you have a familiar and all. Is it really a polar bear? Oh, it is!" Yong Soo gasped at Kumaruma, who drank in the attention. Matthew blinked and tried to make order out of the sea of information.

"I-it's nice to meet you too, Yong Soo." Before the excited Asian could say anything, he was cut short by the arrival of the teacher, Professor Padma Patil. Her blue robes swished around her as she pivoted and faced the class.

"My name is Professor Padma Patil, and here I will be teaching you the art of Transfiguration. I will try my best not to be overly strict, but let me make this clear: I will not tolerate any rule breaking in my class, as it may lead to injuries. Ah, seems we have a rule breaker already." The class turned to look at a blushing Alfred, Toris trailing behind him.

"Maybe I should Transfigure one of you into a map...at least then there will only be one person interrupting my class." The Professor drawled, a long finger at the corner of her mouth. Alfred grew pinker with embarrassment.

Matthew decided he liked this teacher.

"We were late. It's not like that's a crime!" Alfred said in a huff, frowning. Professor Patil merely raised one eyebrow before waving her wand. The apple on her desk changed to a piece of chalk, and a quill became a black board. The chalk swiftly moved across the board, writing instructions on how to turn a matchstick into a needle.

"Now, the most important thing in Transfiguration is to _visualize _what you want. Picture a needle in your mind's eye and _try_ to pronounce the incantation correctly. If you don't learn proper diction now, most of your spells when you are older will go awry." The Professor drawled, facing the class.

Matthew decided he _really, really_ liked this teacher.

She did have a fabulous sense of humor after all.

With another wave of her wand, matchsticks appeared on everyone's desk. "Remember, visualization is the key!" He looked at his matchstick again, and back to the incantation. He visualized an embroidery needle from his mother's sewing kit, and said the incantation while squeezing his eyes shut. Opening his eyes, he saw that the matchstick had the form of a needle, but was still very much a matchstick. Sighing, he tried again. On the fourth try, he managed to get it right, smiling to himself.

He finally got the transfiguration right! Well, he _had_ done the spell before, but that was besides the point. He looked happily at the finished result, and smiled.

"Looks like the rule breaker has it right! 5 points to Gryffindor!" The Professor said, pointing to Matthew's matchstick. He clenched his fists.

Well, if that didn't pop his happiness bubble like being compared to his brother, he didn't know what did.

He knew that he couldn't be lucky forever. He was _bound_ to have at least one teacher forget who he was, right? Even if he was severely disappointed, given that she seemed so sharp during the class. He shouldn't be surprised. His head was bowed, and he lifted it, trying to look her squarely in the eye.

"I'm not Alfred."

"What? I'm afraid I can't hear you." She drawled, though it didn't sound malicious. Matthew didn't care, and he flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm not Alfred. I'm Matthew Williams, of House Williams, and I'm in Hufflepuff, not Gryffindor. Madam." He added, as a last minute attempt to be polite. Though he didn't think it would work as he was talking through gritted teeth.

To her credit, the Professor didn't get angry. Merely cocking her head to the side, she softly said "I see. Five points from Gryffindor and five-no, make that ten-points to Hufflepuff, Mr. Williams." As she turned around, he said "Why the extra five points?"

She turned her head towards him and said "You corrected me when I was wrong. I like that about you, Mr. Williams. Feel free to do it again if I mistake you for your twin." Professor Patil turned around and began helping students. Matthew relaxed, and smiled softly. He felt that it went well. He kept himself busy practicing the spell. His tutor had told him that, while he was gifted with subjects like Herbology, Astronomy, and Ancient Runes, his wandwork was weaker than his brother's.

Well, Alfred tended to put too much power into his spells, and he was rubbish at everything not involving a wand because he lacked the incentive to study.

He was cut off from his thoughts by a familiar whine. "Why didn't Gryffindor get five points?"

Ah, he had been wondering when his annoying, idiotic, younger-by-fifteen-minutes twin brother would speak up.

"It was because, oh dear brother of mine, I had gotten the transfiguration right, and she mistakenly awarded _you_ the five points when it should have gone to me. I corrected her, and now the five points belong to Hufflepuff, where they belong." The teacher was rubbing off on him-he could feel himself copying her voice inflections. Alfred's jaw dropped, and Matthew hurriedly went back to his work before his brother could start a fight.

Well, one point to Matthew! Scoreboard: Matthew-10, Alfred-456.

* * *

><p>"Mattie, wait up!" His brother huffed, trying to catch up to him. Weaving around students going to their next class, the blonde took full advantage of his invisibility to try and get away from his twin. Finally managing to lose him as he turned around the corner to go to Charms, the Canadian student heaved a sigh. Mission accomplished: He had successfully avoided his brother.<p>

For now.

Alfred was incredibly stubborn. He couldn't avoid a confrontation forever...

But he could try.

* * *

><p>DON'T KILL ME FOR STOPPING AT THE END OF THE DAY.<p>

And please review~

If not the next chapter will take a while, because I work on inspiration and reviews inspire me.


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